Fiction
by kurochatchan
Summary: Revenge, "to exact punishment for a wrong doing on one's behalf in a resentful or vindictive spirit". And revenge is exactly what Mikan wants. NarumixMikan. Slightly AU.
1. Chapter I — The Ringer

**A/N:** I contemplated whether to publish this story on my real account or to post it on this one, since it's M-rated, but as you can see, this one was the one I chose. It's harder to track this account down. Anyways, his chapter is M-rated and is probably going to be the sole M-rated chapter in this story. I couldn't avoid turning this chapter M-rated since the sex was a vital part. It's not super detailed, but it's not as vague as it could be either, nor is it a super good lemon. However, I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

This chapter has practically no relation to the TV series on CWTV _Ringer_ either, nor was this idea stolen from somewhere, if there's any similarities to other works, it was not intentional and I apologize in advance. This story's idea was/is created by me.

**This is dedicated to:** those who enjoy the NarumixMikan pairing and/or are twisted like me. ;)  
><strong>Warning:<strong> OCC-ness and sexual content.

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><p><strong>Pairing: <strong>NarumixMikan**  
>Rating: <strong>M**  
>Summary: <strong>Revenge, "to exact punishment for a wrong doing on one's behalf in a resentful or vindictive spirit". And revenge is exactly what Mikan wants.

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><p><strong>Chapter I — The Ringer<strong>

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><p>As Narumi walked down the hallway of the teacher's dormitory, he noticed a shaking figure huddled in front of his door. Getting closer to the person, he realized that he recognized this figure.<p>

"Yu-Yuka-senpai?" Narumi sputtered out, speeding towards the figure and kneeled down in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

The woman looked up from her huddled knees, which leaned against her chest and was encircled by her arms. When she looked up, tears were revealed to be streaking down her face and it was made obvious that her shaking was created by her sobbing. Although her hair was way shorter than it was when he had last seen her, it was, without a doubt, the Yuka-senpai he had grown to love and adore. But why? Why was she here? Why was she in tears? What happened to her?

"Narumi—Naru!" Without hesitation, Yuka threw herself at him, causing him to fall back onto the floor upon impact. "You are here!"

"Yuka-senpai?" Narumi questioned with widened eyes. Unsure of what to do, he blanked out for a moment before his hands slowly and unsurely wrapped around Yuka. "What's wrong?"

Yuka didn't respond and cried even harder. In turn, Narumi made noises of comfort and rubbed soothing circles on her back. They stayed in that position until Narumi heard voices coming up the stairs, so he hurriedly stood up with Yuka in his arms and straddling him (since she was doing so already). Within moments, they were inside his room with the door locked behind him.

"Phew, that was close," Narumi muttered as he brought Yuka to his living room. Looking down, he found Yuka still crying, but fewer tears were coming out and she began to have hiccups. Narumi attempted to set Yuka down on the armchair in his living room, but found that he couldn't when Yuka's arms refused to untangle themselves from his neck. "Yuka-senpai, I need to get you some water. It should help stop your hiccups."

Peering up at him through her eyelashes, Yuka stared at him intensely, making Narumi gulp uneasily and wanting to avert his eyes, but found that he couldn't. When Yuka leaned closer to him instead of pulling away like she was supposed to, Narumi was shocked.

"Yu-Yuka-senpai, wh-what are you—" Before Narumi was able to finish his inquiry, a nip at the conjunction between his head and neck interrupted him.

Then he felt Yuka's mouth move to his ear. "Naru, I―hic―know something that would―hic―both make me feel―hic―better and make my hic―hic―cups stop."

Instinctively, Narumi already knew what Yuka meant, but he had an ominous feeling about this. "Wh-What in the world are you saying, Yuka-senpai?"

"I think you know exactly what I am saying," Yuka whispered and nibbled on his ear before moving back. Looking at him right in the eye, Yuka commanded, "Kiss me, Naru."

"Yuka-senpai, I don't think this is a good idea, you are just in the wrong frame of—"

Yuka's slips slammed onto Narumi's and his mind instantly blanked out. After minutes of fiery kissing, she finally broke away from him when the need for air became too great to avoid. They struggled to catch their breath and both realized that Yuka really did get rid of her hiccups.

Once Yuka retained even an ounce of her normal breathing rate, she immediately attacked his neck.

"Y-Yuka,—" He moaned when Yuka bit a particularly sensitive spot. "—we should stop. You will regret this when you—" He moaned again when Yuka bit the same spot. "—wake up tomorrow morning."

Yuka licked the reddened spot on his neck, eliciting another breathy moan. "That's enough. Stop talking and stop thinking. Just enjoy this."

Narumi wanted to continue his protest, but all of Yuka's biting, sucking and licking were taking a toll on both his body and mind. He was losing his rational thinking and it was just so hard to not give in to his desires. Was the pain of rejection worth spending a night of unbidden and carnal desire with his most beloved? What if this night is the catalyst that's needed for the start of a romantic relationship between the two of them?

Finally coming to a decision, Narumi tuned out the insistent warning bells and persistent rational thinking that was bombarding his head. Narumi pulled Yuka into another heated kiss, which turned into a battle of tongues, as he brought them to his bedroom.

Piece by piece, the two's clothing was shed and soon, there was nothing that prevented the two's hands from completely exploring each other's naked body. The trail of clothing followed them to the foot of the bed as Narumi gently dropped Yuka onto the bed and quickly hovered above her.

Using one elbow as support, Narumi's other arm reached down and released a pleased smile when he found her juices coating the outside of her folds already. Coating his finger with the juices, Narumi's finger easily entered her and while doing so, his mouth also latched onto one of her nipples and bit down. A scream of pleasure and pain was heard as Yuka subconsciously arched her back. Narumi began licking and sucking the nipple to soothe its previously harsh treatment as he curled his finger within her before thrusting it in and out of her.

Yuka's head swung left and right as she thoroughly felt the ministrations of Narumi and another moan was released when Narumi added another finger and his mouth went to the other nipple. When he added a third finger, Narumi bit down on this nipple as well, causing Yuka to scream again. The spring in Yuka's lower half coiled even more and it didn't take long for Yuka to become undone, crying out as she did so.

Pulling out of Yuka, Narumi brought his fingers to his mouth and licked off the glistening juices from his fingers. "Mmm, you taste heavenly, Yuka-senpai."

Even through Yuka's half-hazed mind, a blush managed to find its way onto her cheeks. Seeing the response his words had on her face, Narumi smiled adoringly as he bent down and gave Yuka a loving kiss.

Pulling back, Narumi quickly coated his hardened length with Yuka's juices before questioning, "You ready, Yuka?"

Yuka nodded almost instantly.

Without further ado, Narumi entered Yuka in one swift thrust, filling her to the core.

"God, Narumi!" she cried out.

Narumi quirked his brows at Yuka's unfamiliar use of his full name, but easily dismissed it as her lack of thinking. However, when he sensed something was amiss with her tone and stiff figure, Narumi looked up. What he saw shocked him to the core. There was a look of agony on Yuka's face and her teeth were clutched together tightly. The expression looked too painful to be considered as mere discomfort at being filled so suddenly.

Then, a thought flew through Narumi's mind. But it couldn't be possible, could it? There was no way Yuka was still a virgin. She has a seventeen-years-old daughter, for Pete's sake! Nonetheless, he pulled out of Yuka and looked down. His eyes widened prodigiously.

There were traces of blood coating his length. '_H-How is that possible?_' was what was running through Narumi's mind as his shock-filled eyes slowly rose up to meet the unfazed woman's.

Through the cloud of lessening pain in her mind, 'Yuka' registered Narumi's bemusement and released a smirk. Gradually, she released the tight leash she had on her Alice and both her face and body changed to younger version of her.

"Mi-Mikan!" Narumi exclaimed. It was Mikan who has been with him this whole time. It was Mikan and him who kissed. It was Mikan he entered. And it was Mikan's virginity that he unknowingly stole.

"Hi there, Narumi-sensei," an unfamiliar sensual smile appeared on Mikan's youthful face as her arms intertwined themselves around Narumi's neck and pulled his face closer to hers.

"W-Why?" Narumi managed to get out.

Mikan's smile turned twisted. "Because revenge is what I want to acquire from my dear, loving okaasan and you are the best method I have."

Narumi was dumbfounded. Mikan was using him to get revenge from her mother? Why? What happened?

Six years ago, when Mikan was eleven years old, Yuka returned to reclaim her daughter from the clutches of the academy. Although they were met with many challenges and an attempted assassination on Yuka, the two succeeded and promptly left the academy with the help of many, including Yukihira Kazumi, the high school principal and Mikan's paternal uncle. Narumi wanted to follow them, but there was no opportunity to do so and he had no way to find their whereabouts after they left. Since then, he has been on the lookout for any evidence and news he can get his hands on.

But now, Mikan was back and she was pretending to be Yuka to avenge herself.

Tentatively, Narumi backed away, but Mikan's firm grasp around his neck prevented him from going farther than a few centimeters. "Let me go, Mikan-chan. I need to redress myself. This was a mistake."

Mikan smirked and instead of releasing him, she brought his head closer to hers so that their lips were only a few millimeters apart. "I don't think so, Narumi-sensei."

"Why are you doing this, Mikan-chan?" The caress of Mikan's breathing against his lips was too great to bear and all he wanted to do was to pull Mikan into another kiss. Guilt gnawed his insides at his impure thoughts.

Rather than replying to him, Mikan laced her next words with the voice pheromone Alice and commanded, "You will forget I'm not Yuka until we both orgasm. You will believe I am Yuka, your most beloved."

One can see the struggle Narumi entered with this absolute order until he was finally subdued from his eyes and expression. Mikan let out a pleased smile before she pulled Narumi into another passionate kiss.

"Enter me, Naru," Mikan whispered, using Yuka's nickname for Narumi, between kisses.

Narumi complied without hesitation and Mikan gasped at being filled so completely. Being the vigilant lover that he was, Narumi stayed still and contented himself with Mikan's neck until she was adjusted. Within minutes, Mikan jerked her hips to signal that she's ready. Narumi quickly responded with pulling out and slamming back in before entering her at a paced speed. With each moan that he elicited from Mikan, Narumi increased his pace until his movements became blurry to any possible onlookers' eyes. It also wasn't long before Narumi found Mikan's g-spot and began hitting it every single time with a scarily accurate aim.

Gasps and moans and the occasional curse word along with Narumi's affectionate nickname, "Naru", were all that was heard from Mikan as her back arched up from the bed and her body involuntarily thrashed around from the pleasuring sensations she was receiving from Narumi.

"God, you are so fucking tight and hot, Yuka," Narumi whispered against Mikan's ear as he nibbled it.

There was no comprehensible answer that could be formed in Mikan's sex-fogged mind. All she could focus on was how wound up the spring within her was getting and how close she was to reaching her end.

When they finally couldn't hold it at bay anymore, they both allowed their impending mind-shattering orgasm to take over their body. A "Shit!" was heard from Narumi while Mikan soundlessly screamed and her fingers that were clutching Narumi's back tightened until crescent moon fingernail marks were indented into his skin. Unable to hold himself up any longer, Narumi collapsed onto Mikan, crushing the petite body beneath him. But with the satisfaction of his orgasm also came the return of an unwanted memory.

This wasn't Yuka. The one he made love to was Mikan. Mikan was the one who brought him the most forceful orgasm he has ever had.

Once he rode out the wave of his orgasm, Narumi shakily got off of Mikan and leaned against the headboard with his fingers tightly clutching his head, about to pull his hair out. With a sigh, Mikan got off the bed, pulling the bed sheet with her, and headed to the bathroom without a word.

The sound of the shower starting didn't even register in Narumi's mind when all he could think of was how he just had sex with his most beloved's daughter. What made is worse was that it was even better than anything he has ever imagined with Yuka herself in the occasional hormonal fantasy.

Minutes after the water stopped running, Mikan exited the bathroom with one of Narumi's bathrobes tightened around her and her hair dripping wet. Seeing Narumi's body hasn't moved a single bit, Mikan rolled her eyes as she soundlessly walked towards Narumi. When she reached him, Mikan leaned over and blew into Narumi's exposed ear, causing him to shiver and do a double take.

Narumi looked up and met Mikan's eyes. "Naru, snap out of it already. You had sex with me, big deal."

"How can you say something like that so carelessly?" Narumi shouted with his hands clasping Mikan's shoulders.

Mikan glanced at Narumi's whitening knuckles before replying, "Because I don't care about it. Just pretend you had sex with Yuka since I look so much like her."

The disgust was evident in Mikan's last words and Narumi stared at her in disbelief. "Pretend? You are asking me to pretend I had sex with Yuka when in fact I had sex with her daughter? How do you suppose I do that when I know for sure you aren't Yuka!"

Mikan's eyes widened in surprise and she was speechless.

Taking a deep breath and giving Mikan an examining look, Narumi pleaded, "Please, tell me, Mikan-chan, what happened between you and your mother? Why do you want revenge against her?"

Mikan's eyes turned cold. "She's not my mother. She doesn't deserve to even be called a mother. She's nothing but a selfish and heartless bitch."

"Wh-Why would you say that?" Narumi was definitely taken back by Mikan's words.

Mikan's eyes narrowed as she seemed to have a brief flashback. She instantly shook her head to snap out of it and stared at Narumi with a look of hurt and betrayal, which was directed at Yuka. "It doesn't matter, Narumi-sensei, all you need to know is that she betrayed me and it's because of her that I am in this mess!"

"Yuka-senpai betrayed you? She would never do that!"

"Oh, but she would. She betrayed her own flesh and blood without blinking an eye."

"Then she must have had a reason!"

Mikan let out a bitter and humorless laugh. "Yeah, 'course she did." Narumi's eyes lit up in hope. "To save her own ass. That's why she betrayed me."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Narumi shakily asked.

Mikan appeared to contemplate for a moment before her decision making was interrupted by a ringtone. The duo's eyes turned to her pair of discarded jeans, which Narumi now noted as something that Yuka wouldn't usually wear. Mikan stared at the jean's pocket briefly before walking towards it, causing Narumi's arms to fall down since there wasn't anything for him to hold onto anymore. Mikan took the phone out and flipped it open, checking the new text she got with a muttered "Shit."

Closing it back up, Mikan looked up and said as she began picking up all of her clothing, "Well, I have something to take care of, so I gotta go now."

"Who was that?" Narumi curiously asked.

Mikan dropped all of her clothing onto the bed and without hesitance, she pulled the sash that kept her robe together loose and allowed the robe to slide off of her. Narumi instantly averted his eyes with a light blush. Rolling her eyes, Mikan began changing as she responded, "Just someone from the Z headquarters."

"The Z headquarters?" Narumi's eyes darted towards Mikan in surprise, but upon realizing she was still half naked, his eyes turned to stare into the ceiling instead.

Mikan nodded, but when she remembered that Narumi couldn't see her, Mikan voiced, "Yup."

"Are you working for Z?" Narumi asked unsurely.

"Uh-huh, albeit a bit unwillingly. But since I was sold to Z, I have no choice. I am done, by the way, you can look now."

Narumi promptly looked at Mikan in confusion and shock. "Sold to Z?"

"Mmhm," Mikan said absentmindedly as she placed her phone back into her jean pocket. "Yuka sold me to Z to insure her own freedom."

"She did w-what?" Narumi stuttered out.

"You heard me, not such a perfect mother now, is she?" Mikan stepped towards Narumi and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Well, I have to go now, see you later, Narumi. Don't miss me too much, 'kay?"

With a teasing wink, Mikan teleported away.

'_What in the world happened in the last six years?_' was what was running through Narumi's mind when he silence became his lone companion.

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

Narumi's eyes are green in the manga and purple in the anime, I decided to follow the anime one 'cause I like purple colored eyes better. :P

There's a reason Mikan keeps switching between Naru and Narumi (and earlier on, Narumi-sensei). For now, Mikan only calls Narumi "Naru" when she's mocking him or pretending to be like Yuka. "Narumi" is for when she's being herself.

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><p><strong>End Note (EN): **How did you like this chapter? I doubt there'll be many who'll read this story, but for those who have particular taste like mine, I am planning for this story to be about 10 chapters long with a real plot and the story is written up to chapter 3. However, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up.  
>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.<p>

Anyone has any better suggestion for the genre of this story?

Best wishes always,  
>kurochatchan<p>

**Published:** 12-14-2011


	2. Chapter II — The Fallen Boy

**A/N:** Thank you to all those who read, favorited and/or story-alerted this story and special thanks to **The Little Hobbit** and **pwenie** for reviewing the previous chapter! :)

This chapter is my Christmas**—**for those who celebrate it**— **gift and holiday**—**for those who don't celebrate it**—**gift to all my readers! I wish you all a joyful time with friends and family! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! :)

Well, at least I updated one of my stories on Christmas... :P Forgive any typos or mistakes in this chapter and please do point it out so I can fix it. Enjoy~

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><p><strong>Pairing: <strong>NarumixMikan**  
>Rating: <strong>M**  
>Summary: <strong>Revenge, "to exact punishment for a wrong doing on one's behalf in a resentful or vindictive spirit". And revenge is exactly what Mikan wants.

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><p><strong>Notes:<strong>

Text that are like this means that it will be explained in either my notes at the beginning or end of the chapter. :)

"Moshi moshi" means "hello", except as far as I know, it's only used over the phone.

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><p><strong>Chapter II — The Fallen Boy<strong>

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><p>"How's he doing, Nobara-chan?" was the first thing that Mikan said as she burst through the front door and headed straight to a particular room.<p>

A meek head popped out of the room Mikan was heading for. "Hurry, Mikan-chan! You're the only one that can do anything for him!"

Hearing that, Mikan decided to just save time by teleporting into the room. On the bed was a black-haired figure that was sweating profusely with harsh huffs of breath. Nobara hurriedly shuffled over to her side as she explained, "His fever suddenly worsened twenty minutes ago. I did everything in my abilities to see if I could subdue the fever, but nothing worked. Rei-san took a look at him and said that his Alice was the main cause of it and you were the only one who could do anything, so he told me to immediately text you."

Placing a hand above the guy's fuming forehead, she cursed before asking, "Where's Rei now?"

"Oh! He's out grocery shopping and is going to go to a pharmacy to pick up anything that might be necessary," Nobara replied and stepped back when Mikan did.

Mikan nodded. "Where's my bag of Alice stones?"

"Umm, in that drawer!" Nobara pointed at the second top drawer in the bedside table.

Mikan hurriedly snatched the bag out and pouring some into her hands, she sifted through it until she found the one she was looking for. Placing the rest back in, Mikan's hand hovered above the teen's heart and almost instantly, the Alice stone disappeared into his body. It didn't take long for the stone to take its effects.

The teen's body stopped sweating and his breathing also slowed down. Minutes later, his eyes wearily opened, revealed his unfocused crimson eyes.

"Natsume! Are you alright?" Mikan shouted anxiously.

Natsume winced at the loud volume before croaking out, "Wh-Who are y-you?"

Mikan's eyes widened in shock. "You don't remember me?"

Natsume's head shook left and right and a gasp from Nobara was heard. Turning his eyes to his surroundings, Natsume carefully examined the room. Upon not recognizing anything, he questioned, "Where am I?"

Resigning herself to the fact that he doesn't remember her anymore, she replied with a sad smile. "You're at my house."

"Y-Your house? Why am I here? Who are you?" Questions erupted from Natsume one after another.

Mikan nodded. "We found you on the streets and we would have sent you straight home, but you were burning up with a fever." Pointing to Nobara, she continued, "This is Nobara-chan and I'm Mik—Miyuki."

Nobara's head snapped towards Mikan, but Mikan quickly silenced any questions with a look, telling Nobara to go along with her.

Not noticing the look exchanged between the two, Natsume narrowed his eyes in contemplation, but realizing he couldn't come up with anything, he asked, "Why can't I remember any of this?"

"Your fever must have caused you to lose your memories."

Natsume nodded his head, finding it probable. "Then how do I know you two?"

"We were friends since elementary school before I transferred away," Mikan partially lied.

Natsume nodded again as a yawn involuntarily came out.

Mikan had on a soft smile as she advised, "You should go back to sleep, you'll need your rest."

Natsume looked about ready to protest, but when another yawn escaped, he gave up and just nodded once again before closing his eyes.

Once she was sure he was asleep, she tentatively approached Natsume and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, Natsume."

A tender smile appeared on Natsume's face even in his sleep.

Mikan quietly slid out of the room with Nobara following and closing the door behind them.

"Why did you lie about your name?" Nobara asked as soon as they were out of Natsume's sensitive hearing range.

Ignoring Nobara's question, Mikan proclaimed, "I'm going to steal his Alice tonight."

"W-What?"

"His Alice is only causing him pain; we can't keep letting this happen. I'm not always going to be here to save him. Now that he has lost his memory, it's the best opportunity to steal his Alice away."

"B-But..."

"I've decided; it's the best for him. Once he fully recovers, we'll return him to his family and let him live the rest of his life like he would have if he wasn't an Alice." Mikan's tone left no room for argument.

Knowing better than to go against a resolute Mikan, Nobara just nodded unsurely.

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><p>"<span>Moshi moshi<span>?" a young girl's voice greeted as the other line was picked up.

"Hi, is this Aoi-chan?" Mikan questioned.

"Yes, but who's this?" Aoi inquired unsurely.

"This is Sakura Mikan, a friend of Natsume."

"Sakura Mikan... Mikan... Oh! Mikan-chan! You're that brunette oneechan my oniichan really cares about! Right?"

"Yeah," Mikan's voice turned sad and a melancholic smile appeared on her face.

"Aren't you in the same grade as my oniichan? How come you're calling me?" Aoi questioned bemusedly.

"Natsume and I are outside of the school. We no longer school at Gakuen Alice."

"W-What?"

Mikan nodded even though Aoi can't see it. "Yeah, but that's not important at the moment. Natsume was burning up with a fever and as a result, he has lost all of his memory."

A stunned silence was Mikan's response and then, in the background, a man's voice was heard. "Aoi-chan, who are you on the phone with?"

"I-It's Mikan-chan, oniichan's friend!"

"Aoi, can I please speak to your father?" Mikan inputted.

"Umm, sure, hold on." Aoi's voice then dimmed as she leaned away from the speaker. "Otousan, Mikan-chan wants to speak with you."

"Me?" Hyuuga-san was dumbfounded for a moment before proceeding to take the phone from Aoi. "Moshi moshi, Hyuuga-san speaking, is this Mikan-san?"

"Yes, it's nice to hear from you again," Mikan greeted in a light-hearted tone before turning to a more business-like tone. "As I was saying to Aoi-chan. Natsume and I are currently outside of Gakuen Alice and because of a recent fever, Natsume has lost all of his memory."

"Wh-What happened?" Hyuuga-san was flabbergasted by this new piece of information about his dear son.

"Well, Natsume's Alice was causing him to enter into a very life-threatening situation and much like what had happened to Aoi-chan, he has now lost his memory. However, to prevent this from happening again, I've taken it upon myself to steal his Alice from him."

"The stealing Alice… You're Yuka-san's daughter?"

Mikan's voice turned cold. "Yes, unfortunately, I'm that woman's daughter."

Hyuuga-san was confused by why Mikan sounded so displease, but he didn't know what to say.

"But moving on, the reason I called you was to inform you of my plans to return Natsume to you once he fully recovers. Now that his Alice and memory is gone, the academy shouldn't be trying anything since he's of no more use."

Hyuuga-san's eyes widened in surprise and in response to his daughter's insistent tugging, he quickly informed Aoi the good news. Sounds of joy were heard from the two before they were brought back into the present by a cough.

"However, I would like to request something of you two," Mikan added.

"What is it?" Hyuuga-san sounded about ready to agree to anything.

"I would like you guys to allow Natsume's memory to stay buried. He won't remember how he was taken from his family with his sister. He also won't remember the missions he did for the academy. Neither will he remember how he ended up outside of the academy or anything about Alices. Most of all, he won't remember who I am and what had happened between the two of us. I would like for it to stay this way."

"Wh-Why? Shouldn't we at least try to get him to remember you, Mikan-san?"

"No, doing so will only bring harm to him. To insure that he knows nothing about me, I have even told him my name is Miyuki. The cover up story will be that he was kicked out of Gakuen Alice, the genius school, due to his rebellious behavior and continual misdeeds. Because the school couldn't contact the two of you, Natsume decided he'll just find the two of you on his own. However, due to poor sanitation and lack of proper food and shelter, Natsume's health faltered and that's where he got his fever from. While grocery shopping, I found him on the streets with a horrible fever and thus, I brought him home with me. Does that sound alright with you, Hyuuga-san?"

Hyuuga-san could only say a numb "Yes" as his mind began reeling with questions. What was happening to Yuka's daughter? Is she a fugitive just like Yuka?

"I'm glad we have reached an understanding. There's something else I would like to add. Once the academy catches wind of Natsume's reappearance, they'll send a few agents or teachers to investigate. When they do so, just tell them Natsume's loss of memory and Alice, they might not believe you and ask for proof, but I'll have one of my friends to take care of it. However, try to prevent any direct contact between Natsume and Gakuen Alice's personnel, will that be doable?"

"Y-Yes, I think so." Hyuuga-san was amazed by how well Mikan is covering this entire thing up.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but unfortunately, I have to go now. I'll call you again before we leave, and don't worry I already know where you guys are living right now. See you soon, Hyuuga-san."

"Bye, see you later," Hyuuga-san instinctively said and Mikan hung up as soon she heard his reply.

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><p>"Mikan, are you sure about this?" a tenor voice questioned as Mikan closed her untraceable cell phone.<p>

Mikan looked up, slightly startled since she was so deep in thought. "Oh, hey there, Rei, you're back. Did you get everything you wanted?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah, Nobara's sorting them out in the kitchen, but don't change the topic. Nobara told me about your decision. Are you sure about all of this?"

"Nobara should have also told you how firm I'm about this. This is for the best. It was just a matter of time before the only way to save Natsume is to steal his Alice."

"True, I really was a slave driver, huh," Rei joked humorlessly, remembering all the harsh treatments he imposed upon Natsume.

Mikan chuckled with the same humorless tone. "Yeah, you were, but even if it weren't you, Natsume would have gone through the same thing, except it would have been at the hands of some other mindless follower of Kuonji."

"Yeah, I guess." Rei saw the truth in Mikan's statement, but it didn't change the fact that Natsume's current situation was mainly caused by him. Deciding there's no point in dwelling about this, Rei changed the topic. "Are you sure you will be able to go through with this?"

Mikan raised her eyebrow at Rei, her chin still resting on her propped up hand. "Of course, why would I not be able to?"

Rei shrugged and sat down next to Mikan on the couch. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of black slacks with only a ring as his Alice controller since there was a constant supply of Mikan's specialized Alice stones inside of him. "Well, you guys were very close."

"It doesn't matter, that was in the past. All that matters now is my plan."

"Your plan, huh. Does the Z boss know about it?" Rei asked out of curiosity.

This time, it was Mikan who shrugged. "No idea, but if he did, he's never mentioned it directly to my face. I'm thinking he does though, he's probably just letting me move freely for now."

Rei nodded in understanding as another question popped up. "Were you at the Z headquarters when Nobara texted you?"

"Yeah, Takahashi called me in, boss had a mission for me."

"When's your mission?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Hopefully not too long. But if I'm not back in time, it'll be up to you to escort Natsume back. Make sure you use some Alice stones to disguise yourself with," Mikan instructed.

"Alright." However, upon finding something still amiss, Rei questioned, "Where were you this morning, Mikan?"

Mikan smirked and inwardly complimented on Rei's sharp thinking. "Do you really want to know?"

Rei's eyes widened in shock. "You started your plan, didn't you?"

Although it was posed as a question, they both understood it was a simple statement. Outside, they heard the sound of a cup dropping onto the floor. They both looked up and found Nobara standing there with astonishment clear as day.

Both Rei and Nobara were in the loop about Mikan's plan, but Nobara has continually voiced out her disapproval towards Mikan's plan. She believed what Mikan is doing will just push her into an endless cycle of revenge and she didn't want that for her best friend. On the other hand, Rei stayed neutral because he understood what Mikan was going through, but at the same time, he also knew where this revenge will lead Mikan to. However, he believed that Mikan was old enough to make her own decisions and he's willing to support her in any way.

Knowing better than to say anything, Mikan stood up and as she walked past Nobara, she stated, "It's too late for me to turn back now, Nobara-chan."

"I know" is what Nobara wanted to say, but she wasn't able to find a way to allow those words to slide past the lump in her throat.

Before Mikan completely left the room, she called out, "Well, I'm going to head off to bed now, it's been a tiring day. Good night, Nobara-chan, Rei."

"Good night," Rei replied while Nobara was still involuntarily silent.

As Mikan entered her room, she heard voices from the living room. With the use of her hypersensitive hearing, she was able to catch what the two were saying.

"I-I don't want to lose her, Rei!" Nobara choked out. Mikan could imagine the glistening tears that were on the edges of Nobara's eyes.

"I know, neither do I, but there's nothing we can do to stop her," Rei whispered back.

Sporting a morose smile, Mikan closed her door and locked it. As she did so, a memory appeared before her eyes.

_Persona was standing in front of a large glass window, looking into a room that contained the figure of an unconscious teenage girl lying in a glass container with the occasional blackened spots on her otherwise spotless white, milky skin._

_The sound of the heart monitor was heard even through the glass window as Persona laid his palm flat against the cool glass._

"Persona, wake up, please stop using your twisted sense of sin and overlook everything around you. I'll always be by your side. Whether it's your sins or your entire being, I'll accept it all... You're able to easily protect others. You're a kind person." _Persona_ _fisted his hand against the window._ "Please apologize, Persona. To Mikan-chan... And to everyone you've hurt. Don't let Yukihira-sensei see you make any more mistakes than you have done." _The last words of Nobara before she fell into a coma were imprinted within his heart._

"_Persona…" a voice Persona thought he would never hear again called out._

_Spinning around, Persona was met with the sight of Sakura Mikan sporting a look of sadness and guilt. She was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of jean short-shorts even though it was winter._

_"Sakura..." Persona was shocked to say the least. Standing in front of him was one of the only two people who could save this girl. But how in the world did she get in without anyone noticing?_

_"Is Nobara-chan still in critical condition?" Mikan stepped closer to Persona, not at all afraid._

_Seeing Persona's nod in her peripheral vision, Mikan continued, "I would like to strike a deal with you."_

_Persona's eyes darted to Mikan's face in surprise, silently questioning her._

_"In exchange for saving Nobara, not only do I want your loyalty, but I also want you to help me do three things."_

_Persona was dumbfounded and his unmasked face was the proof of that. This Mikan was almost completely different than the Mikan from three months ago, which was when the escape of Mikan and Yuka happened. Finally, he managed to get out, "Three things?"_

_Mikan nodded and met Persona's eyes. "First, I want you to protect Natsume, lessen his missions and make sure his life doesn't diminish anymore than it already did. Second, I require your assistance in keeping tabs on Kuonji and Shiki. Third, I want you to protect all of my friends from harm."_

_"How do you suppose I can do all of that without rising Kuonji-sama's suspicion?"_

_"Drop that disgusting "-sama", he was the reason everything turned out like this," Mikan narrowed her eyes. "But anyways, that's up to you. As long as every single one of my friends, including Natsume, is still alive by the end of one year, you would have completed half of your deal."_

_Ignoring her earlier words, he inquired, "One year?"_

_Mikan nodded as she turned her stare back onto Nobara. "Unfortunately, you won't see me for a year."_

_Carefully thinking over all of Mikan's conditions and those imprinted words that are on a constant reply within his mind, he reached a decision. "I agree. Now, save Nobara."_

_"Hold on, to ensure your loyalty, I'll place a spell, or if you prefer, curse on you." Staring at the cross mark underneath Persona's left eye, she added, "Since you already have an established mark, I'll just add my curse onto it. Or would you prefer something else. Maybe a jewelry that you'll never be able to take off?"_

_After a moment of thinking, Persona replied, "No, this mark is fine."_

_Mikan nodded and placed one of her ice cold finger against Persona's cross mark, causing him to involuntarily shiver. She then whispered, "If you were to break this bond of loyalty between the two of us, then not only will you go through excruciating pain, but from then on, as a lower being who is bound to me, you'll have to follow my every command. Do you pledge me your loyalty, Rei?"_

_Persona's eyes widened prodigiously at hearing his real name. However, as a gust of wind flew through his entire being, he knew exactly what to say to complete the pledge, "I, Serio Rei, pledge to you my entire being's loyalty in mind, soul and body."_

_When he was done, a peace that he has never felt before settled in his being. He looked up at Mikan in amazement and was met with an expression that was much more similar to what Mikan from three months ago would have._

_With a warm and cheerful smile, Mikan threw her arms around Rei's shoulders, embracing him and catching him by surprise. "I'm glad the serious and heavy part's over now! That was SO suffocating!"_

_Rei was speechless. He looked down at Mikan and realized that unlike the last time she threw herself at him, black marks didn't appear on her body._

_As quickly as Mikan hugged him, she pulled away and looked at Nobara. "I should help her now."_

_Surprising Rei again, Mikan used instant teleportation and ended up on the other side of the glass. With hands clasping Nobara's hand, Mikan focused on pulling Rei's Alice from Nobara's body. Not before long, shards of black Alice stone appeared hovering above Nobara's chest and with a quick step towards the window, Rei watched anxiously with his palm molding against the glass._

_Slowly, the black marks that dominated Nobara's skin began to disappear until every single inch of Nobara's body was its original pale white color._

_Once she was done pulling out all of Rei's Alice stone, Mikan took a bag out of her jeans pocket and captured all of the hovering Alice stones. Mikan then teleported to Rei's side and said, "Well, I've got to go now; I'll be keeping these Alice stones as compensation. Nobara should be recovering as we speak and it shouldn't take long for her to make a full comeback," Mikan informed as she placed the bag back into her jean's pocket._

_Rei nodded in understanding and said a phrase he hasn't spoken in such a long time. "Thank you, Sakura."_

_Mikan gave Rei a chiding look, "Oh, come on, we are way more familiar than that. We are practically step-siblings, for Pete's sake. Call me by Mikan, Rei!"_

_Rei's eyes shot to Mikan's and then tentatively, he whispered, "Mi... Mikan."_

_Mikan had on a bright and pleased smile in response, but it dimmed as she said her next words, "Well, I've gotta go now, see you in a year, Rei-niichan!"_

_Without waiting for a response, Mikan teleported away._

_Rei sported a soft smile at his new pseudo-sister's antics._

Finally making her way out of this memory, Mikan slightly hobbled to her bed and plopped down with her head facing the ceiling. She was still slightly sore between the legs from this morning's activities and pretending to be walking perfectly fine took a toll on her body. Thinking about this morning caused a blush to spread over Mikan's face and heat to pool between her legs. The sensations that Narumi gave her were unprecedented, since she was virgin, this was a given, but it was not only that, she was able to completely lose herself in his embrace and thought of nothing but the man that was inside of her. It was everything she could have wished for.

Upon realizing where her thoughts were taking her, she quickly shook her head to wave off the unwanted thoughts. Now was not the time to be having such thoughts. There should be only one thing on her mind right now. Revenge.

Although she cared about Narumi a whole lot, she should not be having any misgivings or feeling guilty about using Narumi as a tool to her means.

"Narumi will always be just a tool, no matter what," Mikan whispered to herself repeatedly, attempting to calm her restless soul.

* * *

><p>I used the "Please don't let Yukihira-sensei see you make any more mistakes than you have already done..." line from the English translation of behind_thy_crimson_eyes &amp; beinenstich. ^-^ The rest, I translated it according to the Chinese version of chapter 147 and tried not to clash.<p>

I know that pledge of loyalty is slight cliché, okay, maybe a lot, but leave it alone, I couldn't help it. :P

In case anyone was confused, this chapter was basically a continuation of the last chapter. Last chapter happened in the morning, this one happened in the late afternoon until the night.

* * *

><p><strong>EN:** Thank you for reading this chapter; I hope you enjoyed it. I will probably upload the next chapter (it's written already, but not edited, I believe) when I finish writing chapter 4. Until next time~ I would love to hear back from you.

Best wishes always,  
>kurochatchan<p>

** Published:** 12/25/11


	3. —Chapter III—

— **Chapter III —**

* * *

><p>"Hey there, you are back!" a familiar but unexpected voice greeted him when Narumi stepped into his living room after locking the door.<p>

Narumi looked up in astonishment and on his couch, he found Mikan lying on her tummy while scrolling through a magazine. She had on a black t-shirt and P.E. shorts that reached mid-thigh.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned in surprise.

Mikan stopped her flipping and met his eyes with amusement. Sporting a pout, she asked, "Aw, no greeting?"

"Why are you here, Mikan-chan?" Narumi firmly rephrased his question.

"Can't I just see you for the sake of seeing you?" Mikan got and headed towards Narumi's stiff figure.

"I doubt it." Narumi's emotionless eyes intently followed Mikan's movements.

Mikan stopped in front of him and before Narumi could process what happened, Mikan already had her arms around the man, causing his body to tense up even more. "I've missed you, Narumi-sensei."

Sincerity rang in Mikan's voice and sensing that, Narumi's body slowly relaxed.

"I've missed you too, Mikan-chan," Narumi whispered, reveling in the innocence and warmth of this moment and brought his arms around Mikan as well.

This pure moment of reunion lasted for minutes until Mikan started to pull away.

"Did you have dinner yet, Narumi-sensei?" Mikan questioned with a tilt of her head.

Narumi nodded and it was then that he noticed her hair was still slightly wet and the familiar smell of body wash and shampoo, indicating she probably took a shower here. "How long have you been here?"

Mikan smirked as she returned to her discarded magazine. "A while, I suppose."

"What if I came back with someone?"

"Then I would have just hidden somewhere until they left. But I think besides Misaki-sensei, I'm the only one who's been inside your apartment for the past decade."

"You?" Narumi questioned, a little confused, but then he remembered. "Oh."

Both experienced a flashback of the time when Mikan tried to escape the school to see her grandfather, who came to Tokyo to find her, but when she did get out, she almost got kidnapped. If it weren't for Narumi, who came just in time, she would have been a goner for sure. When that whole ordeal was over, they returned to the teacher's dormitory and had Misaki-sensei treat Narumi's wounds. Afterwards, because it was so late already, Mikan stayed over at Narumi's place and they reconciled.

They both smiled at that memory.

"Narumi, I have a request for you," Mikan broke the silence, purposely using Narumi's name without any honorific.

Narumi chuckled with a tinge of bitterness. "So you did come here with a hidden agenda."

Disregarding Narumi's words. Mikan continued, "Just like you protected me, protect Natsume now."

Narumi's eyes snapped to Mikan's in shock. "What do you mean? Do you know where Natsume is?"

"Ever since I rescued Natsume five years ago—"

"You were the one who kidnapped Natsume?" Narumi interrupted.

Mikan casted him a look of annoyance. "—he's been having on and off fevers that are mainly caused by his Alice, which weakened him even more every time. It's a miracle he's even still alive. But anyways, I was able to heal him every single time. However, this time, his fever was particularly fierce and caused him to have amnesia. He can't remember a single thing, so I decided to take away his Alice and return him to his family."

"Y-you stole his Alice?" Narumi exclaimed after a period of stupefaction.

Mikan nodded. "I can't always save him. I'm not always going to be there. The only thing his Alice is giving him is pain and suffering."

"Why are you telling this to me?"

"Once Natsume is returned to his family, it won't take long for the school to find out. They'll definitely send people to investigate, you'll most likely be chosen due to your Alice and your history with Natsume. I want you to help me persuade the school; they won't believe the truth so easily, so use you Alice if you must. Also, try to prevent direct contact between Natsume and the school; I don't want them to trigger his memory and suspicion. I'm sure you can do all this, right?"

Narumi could only nod. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he must help Natsume; he owed the boy that much, at least.

Mikan clapped her hands together in a joyful gesture; it was as if a large boulder has been lifted off of her shoulders. "Good! Now that we got that heavy part over with, go shower!"

Narumi's head swirled a little at the sudden change of topic, but a question still nudged at him. Instead of voicing his question, he just nodded again and headed towards the direction of the bathroom.

Mikan returned to the magazine in her hands, but she was interrupted when Narumi couldn't keep his question at bay anymore. "Do you still love Natsume?"

The girl froze at the blunt question and Narumi took a pause in his steps.

Silence dawned on the duo until Mikan could finally speak coherently. "It doesn't matter, we can never be together, especially now."

Her tone was indescribable, there was traces of sadness and something else, but there wasn't any regret. Although Narumi found himself empathizing with her, he didn't say anything and resumed his journey to the bathroom.

Once she heard the shower go on, she released a sigh of relief and got up, having lost the interest to read. She decided to fix something light to eat and went into the kitchen. Searching through the cabinet and fridge, she found what she was looking for and began cooking.

By the time she was done with her omelet, Narumi also finished and came out. Seeing her sitting on the high chair, which was situated in front of the kitchen counter, eating something, Narumi raised his eyebrow, posing a silent inquiry.

"Omelet with some ham. You didn't have enough eggs to make two, so we're going to have to share." Mikan gestured Narumi to sit next to her.

Complying, Narumi seated himself and Mikan immediately brought some omelet to his lips. In return, Narumi hesitatingly opened his mouth and it didn't take long for his tongue to be attacked by the heavenly taste of the simple omelet.

Narumi closed his eyes, savoring the food before he finally allowed it to slide past his throat. "That was delicious, Mikan-chan! You really are the master of cooking!"

When he opened his eyes, Narumi was met with a blushing tomato.

"Do you really think so?" Mikan shyly questioned while gently biting the tips of her fork, which was at the edge of her mouth.

Narumi promptly nodded with a chuckle at the girl's shyness. "How can I think otherwise? This can be comparable to—"

—_Anna-chan's cooking._ Narumi broke off before finishing his sentence in his mind when he had a premonition that Mikan's adorable behavior would change if he mentioned her former classmate's name and he didn't want that.

Mikan's eyebrow rose with confusion.

Narumi laughed it off. "I forgot what I was going to say."

Mikan giggled and gave Narumi another bite. "Here."

When they finished the rest of the omelet by taking alternate bites, they both washed the dishes together; Narumi did the washing and Mikan did the rinsing. Having finished before his partner, Mikan told Narumi to retrieve her bag, which was sitting by the couch. As Mikan placed the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, Narumi returned to the room.

"Is this it?" Narumi held the bag in his hand up.

Mikan closed the dishwasher and looked up as she wiped her hands dry with a cloth. "Yup."

Narumi handed it over and Mikan quickly sifted through it, pulling out a small cylinder container.

Narumi's eyes show up at this. "Is―Is that a bottle of medicine? Are you sick?"

Mikan giggled at his reaction. "Yes, this is medicine, it's a doctor's prescription too, but I'm not sick.

"Then what kind of medicine is that?"

Instead of replying, Mikan got a glass of water, threw a pill in her mouth, passed the bottle to Narumi, and drained the glass.

Reading the medicine description, Narumi's eyes widened. "W-why are you taking these?"

"I am on _the_ pills 'cause an unstable period will be too much trouble," Mikan replied bluntly. "Anyways, let's go to sleep!"

Mikan skipped towards Narumi and taking hold of his hand, she dragged him towards his bedroom.

Realizing her intentions, Narumi's eyes enlarged considerably and halted to a stop. "Mi-Mikan-chan, you can sleep on my bed, I'll just sleep on the couch out here!"

Looking back and forth between Narumi's finger, which pointed at the couch, and where he intended to sleep, a pout and a pair of irresistible puppy dog eyes etched itself onto her expression. "Do you hate me that much, Narumi?"

"Wh-wha? Why in the world would you think that?" Narumi cried out in disbelief.

"Then sleep with me, it'll be just like that one time!" Seeing Narumi's lingering doubt, she added, "I promise, nothing will happen. It'll be as platonic as it can get."

Upon Mikan's sincere promise, Narumi visibly loosened, but uncertainty still remained. Without Narumi realizing, they were already in front of his bed. Mikan settled herself into the right side of the bed straightaway, and hauled Narumi in afterwards. Seeing no way out, Narumi made himself comfortable and switched the bedside lamp, which was probably turned on by Mikan before he got back, off.

They both positioned their body so that they faced each other, just like last time.

"Narumi, do you… do you think you can hold me? I… I feel cold," Mikan requested shyly with a shudder.

Narumi blushed like a shy and innocent teenager, but without a word, his arms snaked around Mikan and pulled her in. Mikan immediately nestled herself against Narumi, sucking in all the warmth he can provide, and released a sigh of satisfaction when she felt her body warming up.

Gradually, Mikan fell into a deep sleep. Hearing her slower breathing, Narumi looked down and gently smiled at the innocent and childish expression on the girl's sleeping face. This was the expression that Narumi wanted to put back onto Mikan's face. He didn't want to see that cold and calculating look on her face ever again. Ever since seven years ago, when he first met her in front of the school, he had wanted to protect her innocence and warm smile, but he failed.

Unable to help himself, he laid a soft kiss on her forehead, causing a smile to unconsciously creep upon her face.

When he realized what he had done, Narumi's face could be compared to the color of Natsume's unique eyes and unwanted thoughts invaded his mind. Why did he kiss her just now? If he didn't come to his senses when he did, he was sure his mouth's next target would have been the girl's lips. Was this kiss done on a platonic level—how ironic is it that the one who can't keep this on a platonic level is him? His thoughts indicated otherwise, but that can't be it, right?

He was in denial, he knew, but he didn't want to accept what he assumed was happening. The cacophony of thoughts and questions kept him from entering the welcoming unconsciousness he desired and by the time he was able to slip into a fitful dream world, it was already early morning.

When he woke up the next day, it was just past noon—he was glad it was a Sunday today—and in place of the warm body that was in his arms, there was a note.

Narumi's bleak eyes instantly cleared up and read the note.

"_Narumi (- I hope you don't mind me calling you that),_

_Thanks to you, I had a much needed night of rest, I hope you won't mind me leaving without a proper goodbye, but unfortunately, I have a mission today, I will come visit you again soon, so don't miss me too much. ;) I'll miss you, see you soon._

_Tons of love,  
><em>_Mikan."_

"I'll miss you too, my dear Mikan," Narumi whispered.

* * *

><p>"Nobara, you ready to go?" Rei peeked into said girl's room after a short knock.<p>

Nobara looked up from her bag zipping with a smile. "Yup, is Mikan-chan back yet?"

Rei shook his head in negation with a tight smile. "No, but it was expected, she has always hated saying goodbyes."

"Maybe… maybe she's just running late or maybe something went wrong during her mission."

"Don't fool yourself, Nobara, even if the latter was true, she wouldn't have came anyways," Rei scolded with a brisk tone.

"But this—this is Natsume-kun we are talking about!"

"Even more reason to not come. Out of all of us, Hyuuga was the one she was closest to, but he's also the hardest one to say goodbye to."

Nobara could only numbly nod, understanding what Rei was saying, but unable to accept it. Meanwhile, Rei took Nobara's bag into his hand and led Nobara into Natsume's room.

Hearing a knock and the approaching footsteps, Natsume looked up from the picture in his hand. It was an aged photo of him, his father, and his younger sister. He found it in a drawer and Rei, the man at his door right now, told him it was a family photo taken before his enrollment at Gakuen Alice. But… he doesn't remember any of them.

"Hyuuga, are you ready?" Rei asked as he met Natsume's eyes.

Natsume merely nodded as he placed the photo into his overcoat's pocket and grabbed his bag from the bed. Glancing at the two faces, he realized the one he was looking for wasn't there. Hesitatingly, he asked, "Where is Miyuki?"

"Miyuki…?" It took a moment for Rei to comprehend. "Oh. Well, Miyuki hasn't returned yet."

Natsume's brows burrowed at that. For what reason, he didn't know. In fact, he doesn't even understand why he cared about her absence so much and why he felt so displeased and discontented about their lack of contact. There was an unexplainable desire to see her and hear her comforting voice. But after his first return to consciousness, he's never seen her again and whenever he asked Rei or Nobara, they would reply with the same answer and he couldn't tell if they were lying or not.

Heeding a silent signal, Natsume followed the two out of the house and entered a black Toyota Hybrid. After the three placed their bag, Rei got in the driver's seat, Nobara in the shotgun and Natsume in the back. As they drove away, an inscrutable sadness washed over Natsume's body. Although his mind didn't recognize it, his soul and body knew this was his home and so, with each kilometer placed between him and the house, the feel of losing something important overwhelmed him.

* * *

><p>Like any other night, Narumi was heading towards his room after he had dinner with some of the other teachers. It's been four days since he saw the note Mikan left behind and true to his words, he missed Mikan every single day, especially when he went to bed. He didn't understand where this sudden longing for Mikan came from. As hard as he's tried to convince himself this is mere longing on a platonic level, he's also come to accept that it was more than that.<p>

However, he still couldn't come into acceptance of this new—or has it just been quietly brewing under the surface this entire time?—feeling. How could he think of the daughter of Yuka, whom he's known to have unrequited feelings for, like that? He didn't know what to think of himself anymore.

Looking out of the hallway's window, Narumi's eyes caught the black-bobbed head that belonged to his best friend, Misaki, who was heading towards the school's greenhouse and garden to tend to his plants. He couldn't help but wonder what Misaki would say if he were to hear about the cause of the raging battlefield within Narumi's head.

"He would definitely say I'm an idiot," Narumi remarked under his breath with affection and melancholy. Then he resumed his walk and entered his room with a small sigh as he surveyed his surroundings and was met with disappointment once again.

Without further thought, he took a quick shower and after some thought, Narumi decided to allow his restless mind the sleep it demanded.

However, any thoughts of sleep were wiped away when upon entering his bedroom, he found the figure of a bloodied girl. Her chest barely rose up and down and with further examination, he realized her breathing was very shallow, too shallow for her to be considered as merely sleeping. Narumi hastily scrambled towards the girl and checked her pulse upon reaching her. It was very weak, but it was still there and that's all that mattered at the moment .Without hesitation, Narumi cradled her and was about to dash out of the room with the Alice hospital in mind—he did think about the possibility of pushing her into more danger, but he dismissed it just as quickly with the justification of her possible death if he didn't do so—when a tug of his sleeve halted his steps.

Narumi looked down with alarm and exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw the girl's eyes fractionally opened.

"Mikan-chan! Are you alright? What in the world happened?" Narumi questioned immediately.

Ignoring him, Mikan whispered, "N-no, don't take me to the hospital—" A cough interrupted her speech. "—just leave me here. I'll be able to recover without any doctor's help. I'll be fine. Don't—"

Mikan was once again interrupted by her coughing; however, this time, it transformed into a series of cracked coughing. The wild heaving of her chest led Narumi to quickly bring her to his bed. With one arm supporting her, Narumi used to other to comfortingly pet her back in an attempt to soothe her coughs. Still, her unrelenting coughs showed no sign of stopping and soon, blood was seen.

Mikan's face was scrunched up in pain while Narumi was frustrated with his helplessness.

Mikan took big gasps of air, but it was of no help. Eventually, after a clot of blood was sputtered out forcefully, the coughs subsided and the clot was pinpointed as the culprit.

"G-get me some water, Narumi," Mikan ordered feebly and Narumi complied instantaneously. When Narumi returned, Mikan's coughing was completely gone and she was lying against the headboard with her hand at her throat to ease away the burning sensation. As Narumi handed her the cup of water and assisted her drinking, he noticed the girl had purposely sat away from his bloodied sheets.

When Mikan had her fill, Narumi placed the cup on the nightstand and situated himself on the edge of the bed.

"Thanks," Mikan quietly said with sincere appreciation.

Narumi nodded as he stared at the girl, who was staring at her linked hands, intensely. "What happened to you?"

"You don't need to worry yourself about it, I'll be fine now," Mikan continued to avoid Narumi's eyes.

"I don't need to worry about it? Are you serious? You expect me to suddenly find you lying on my bed with blood everywhere and **not** worry about it? You've got to be kidding me!" Narumi's voice rose in anger, but as he said his next words, it dramatically decreased in volume. "If you don't tell me about it, I'll bring you to the Alice Hospital."

Narumi's threat was as clear as day and Mikan's eyes widened in shock before it returned to its normal size. Her next words were calm and even.

"If you try to do that, I'll instantly teleport away," Mikan threatened right back, finally meeting the teacher's eyes.

They were at a standstill. Each stared at the other with an unaccountable intensity, both refusing to back down.

Finally giving up, Narumi looked away for a minute before returning his eyes to hers.

"Why do you keep so many secrets from me, Mikan-chan?" Narumi quietly asked with a pained look.

Mikan looked about ready to retort with something rude, but quickly changing her mind, she replied with equal quietness, "It's for your own good."

Narumi glared at Mikan. "I think I have a right to decide for myself whether it's really for my own good or not."

Mikan peered into Narumi's eyes with an incomprehensible look for a moment before saying, "I'm tired, I'll be going to sleep now, I might not wake up for a few days, but don't worry about it. By the way, I apologize about your sheets."

With that, Mikan sat up, lowered her pillow, and slipped into a comfortable position. Before she drifted off to sleep, she whispered, "Good night. I trust you, Narumi."

Narumi stared at the girl with an incredulous expression which quickly transformed into one of surprise when he heard her last words.

"Geez, what in the world am I going to do with this girl?" Narumi muttered as he pulled an extra comforter from his closet to slip over the girl who went to sleep without any covering. In her sleep, a smirk crept upon said girl's face.

Narumi rolled his eyes before turning to the bloodied part of his bed. "Ugh, you could've at least allowed me to switch my sheets first. Where am I going to sleep now?"

* * *

><p>I thought about adding a part where during Narumi and Mikan's staring contest near the end, Misaki would knock on their door and interrupt it, but then I forgot about it and now that I think about it, it's too cliché and expected, so I'm glad I didn't use it. Sorry to those who would've liked it. :P<p>

Thank you to all my reviews and everyone who added this story to their story alert or favorites. :) I greatly appreciate it. I don't have the next chapter written yet and have no idea what-so-ever where it's heading, I actually don't really know where this story is going to go, even though I have the ending planned; I just need to figure out how to get there. Anyhow, I thought I should make up for my lack of updates with an update. The developments in this chapter are fitting to Valentines' Day somehow in my mind. :)

Happy Valentine's Day, I suppose, I wish happiness and joy to those who're in a relationship, a solution and simplification to those who's relationship is complicated, and luck and hope for those who're still single (even if you have no qualms about being single)! :)

Chapter titles are also too bothersome so unless something strikes me suddenly, most chapters aren't going to have titles.

Until next time~

Best wishes always,  
>Kurochatchan<p>

**Published:** 02/14/12


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